Love Story, or Not
by ButlerXArtemis
Summary: Artemis Fowl is the most incredible person that Callum has ever met. It's a shame that Artemis seems to have no interest in him at all. Artemis/OC
1. Chapter 1

_A/N- I don't own the Artemis Fowl characters. Though I do own my OC. Hope you enjoy my fic._

Chapter 1

My mother gave my hand a squeeze and smiled at me.

"Don't worry," she told me, "You'll make plenty of friends, you always do." I grinned at her, showing that I was ready to take on St Bartlbey's. I was ready for anything. Before long I would have a good group of friends. I was also planning on joining the football team. Who knew, maybe I could even find myself a boyfriend. I quickly checked my reflection to make sure I looked alright. I couldn't help but admire myself. I had dark brown hair that I carefully styled to look messy, naturally tanned skin, bright grey eyes and a muscular body worthy of drooling over.

An old but well groomed and extremely well dressed man entered the room and took a seat behind the principal's desk. Obviously this was Mr. Guiney.

"Good morning Mrs Ralph. Good morning Callum. Welcome to St Bartlebys. I'm Mr. Guiney, the principal of this fine institution of education," he smiled at us as he introduced himself then proceeded to spend the next half an hour talking to us, going over rules and expectations and other such school stuff. He then gave me a map, a timetable and wished us a good day.

Outside of the principals room my mother kissed me on the cheek and gave me a tearful look.

"Have fun," she said. "If anything happens don't hesitate to call me." She gave me a rib cracking hug. "Goodbye hun," she said, "I'll pick you up at the end of term." She then left me, alone, at a new, extremely fancy school. I gave my timetable a quick look. English. I made my way to the designated room.

"Hello," said the teacher, "you must be Callum Ralph. I'm Mr. Smith" He pointed me to a seat. I sat down and grabbed my book. The next ten minutes were spent going over essays and assignments we'd be doing that term. It was an ordinary lesson. But then someone out of the ordinary, someone extraordinary walked into the room. The teacher gave him a look.

"You're late," he said, pointing out the obvious.

"Sorry sir," said the boy. His voice was sent shivers down my back and made my heart race. I watched him as he walked to his seat. His curly black hair and dark blue eyes contrasted beautifully with his pale skin. His seat was right in front of me so I got a great view of his small ass as he sat. I sat there for a moment trying to imagine what his slender, delicate body looked like under his school uniform. I yearned to kiss his soft pink lips and hold him in my arms. Then I began to ask myself some questions. What was his name? Was he gay? If so, would he be interested in me? Did he already have a boyfriend or girlfriend?

I waited till class finished then followed him out of the room. He had a very brisk pace and next to him I felt big and clumsy. I gave myself a quick pep talk.

"Hey," I said, "I'm Callum Ralph. What's your name?"

He gave me a quick look. "I'm Artemis Fowl the Second," he said. His voice was short and sharp and let me know that he had no wish to talk to me.

"So," I said, desperately trying to think of something to say. "What class do you have next?"

"Advanced mathematics," he answered. I didn't have that subject. My strengths were out on the football field, not in the classroom and especially not a math classroom. I watched as he walked away vowing to try again the next time I saw him. Artemis Fowl. Smart, sexy and rich. I'd hit the jackpot, if only I could make him mine.

_A/N – What do you think? If you liked it, review! If you didn't, review anyway and tell me just how much I suck._


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer – I don't own Artemis Fowl._

Chapter 2

I didn't see Artemis again till lunch. I did meet many other boys though. Short boys, tall boys, round boys, extremely fit boys, boys with long hair and boys in dire need of pimple cream. Let's not forget the good looking boys. I never knew there were so many different types, all of them unique and intriguing in their own way. Yet none of them could measure up to Artemis. Though a fellow classmate seemed to have adopted me. His name was Joshua O'Grady. Tall, muscular, shaggy blond hair and bright green eyes.

"Hey Callum," Joshua called, "Hurry up! There are a limited number of tables you know."

"Sorry," I said. I jogged a bit to catch up to him. It was lunch time and we were on our way to the cafeteria. We walked through a large set of doors and my nose was assaulted by a mix of different aromas. Pizza, bacon and other such goodies. My stomach growled loudly.

Joshua laughed. "Sounds like someone's hungry," he commented. "Long day?"

I didn't answer. I was distracted. Artemis was sitting at a table at the far side of the room. He was alone and reading a book. Even from a distance the book looked large and heavy.

"Uh, hello?" Joshua said, waving his arm in front of my face. "Anyone home? I asked you a question."

I shook my head. "Sorry," I said again, "I'm just a bit out of it at the moment."

"It happens to the best of us," Joshua shrugged. "So anyway, we'll get some lunch and then you can sit with some of my mates."

"Actually, I've already got someone to sit with," I said. "Maybe tomorrow." I couldn't tear my gaze away from Artemis. Joshua turned to see who I was staring at.

"Artemis Fowl?!" he said, incredulous. "You're joking! He's a cold hearted son of a bitch! I'm not sure he even has a heart! You should stay right away from him."

"He looks lonely," I muttered. "I'm sitting with him. See you later."

I stopped to grab a burger and chips before making my over to Artemis. I stood at the table for a minute, waiting to see if he would notice me. He ignored me so I sat. The book he was reading was full of large words and complicated diagrams. He absently fiddled with his chicken salad, stabbing at bit of tomato and lettuce with his fork. He casually pushed some hair out of his eyes. I almost choked on my burger, he was just so beautiful.

"What are you reading?" I asked. "Is it interesting?" I was genuinely interested.

"A book on psychology," he answered. "Why are you here?" He gave me a suspicious glare.

"I wanted to sit with you," I said truthfully. "There's nothing wrong with that." I smiled at him.

His glare darkened. He stood and shoved his book into his bag. Just as he was about to pick it up I snatched it.

"Let me carry it," I said, "it looks very heavy."

Artemis bared his teeth at me and I almost ran for it. Instead I grinned at him and motioned for him to lead the way. He scowled and walked off. I followed. He was unusually fast; I was having trouble keeping up.

"Hey," I called, "Wait up! I have your bag, remember."

He slowed down so that we were walking side by side. He glared at me. "What do you want?" He demanded. "Tell me!"

I looked into his eyes. "I want you to go out with me." I think he was too shocked to answer me so we walked like that for awhile staring at each other. Then I tripped. I'd been so busy staring I hadn't noticed to metal rubbish bin and I'd fallen over it. I lay in an embarrassing heap on the floor. Artemis retrieved his bag from where I had dropped it. He smirked at me.

"Thank you for the offer," he said, "but I'd rather not date you." He then left me lying on the floor. I groaned.

"I told you," said a voice. I looked up to see Joshua standing over me. He helped me up then said "So you like Artemis."

I blushed. I didn't like it to be common knowledge that I was gay. I wasn't even sure why I had asked Artemis out so suddenly. I'd known him less than a day.

"He's never going to go out with you," Joshua told me, "You'd better quit."

"How do you know," I snapped, "Have you tried?"

"No," he said,"I'm straight. But my sister has. She goes to St Catherine's across the road. She asked him out. Next thing you know she's crying her heart out, saying her life is over." Joshua scowled. "The little prick," he spat.

I felt sorry for his sister but also glad that Artemis had said no. Maybe he preferred men. I wasn't giving up yet, I was even more determined than ever.

_A/N- Thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint you all._


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer – I don't own Artemis Fowl._

Chapter 3

Once again I was in the school cafeteria. It was dinner time now and everyone sat back, relaxed and ate their meals, relieved that the day was finally ending and it was one day closer to the weekend. The sound of several different conversations taking place at the same time filled the large room. Everyone was talking about what they had done the weekend before and complaining about homework and teachers. I'd decided to sit with Joshua and his friends this time. Artemis was right at the other end of the room, reading again. I struggled to tear my gaze away from him and concentrate on the group. I didn't want to be rude.

"Are you going to eat that or what?" Joshua asked, pointing at my steak. "Cause if you're full I'll eat it."

"No, I'll eat it," I said, "I was just a bit distracted."

"He was staring at Artemis Fowl," said a friend of Joshua's, Richard. Richard was tall, taller than me. He was thin and lanky and he had long, black, greasy hair which covered most of his face. I stared at Richard. Was it that obvious? Had anyone else noticed?

"He was probably thinking about what a jerk Artemis is," Joshua laughed. "He sat down with Artemis at lunch. As usual Artemis wasn't exactly friendly."

I sighed in relief and thanked God for good people like Joshua.

"Dude," said another of Joshua's friends, Scott was his name I think. "You sat with the Fowl kid? You're either really brave or just plain stupid."

"Just stupid," I said, laughing.

Richard grunted and stabbed at his steak viscously. I watched him with interest. Did he have a grudge against Artemis too?

After dinner I stood and announced that I was going to bed. Everyone at the table said the usual goodbye and see you later. Before the cafeteria I briefly looked around for Artemis he'd already left. As I walked down the corridor I wondered who my roommate was. When I had dropped off my stuff at the room this morning everyone was already in class. What if my roommate was Artemis? Yeah right. There were at least four hundred students in the school which only a tiny chance of being paired with Artemis.

Apparently I have a fairy god mother. I stood in the doorway of the room staring at Artemis who was sitting on his bed, typing on his laptop. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you just going to stand there and gape at me or are you going to come in and close the door?" he asked.

I entered the room, closing the door behind me than sat on my bed and continued to stare at him. He sighed, obviously annoyed.

"So," I said, "What are you doing?"

"That is none of your business," Artemis replied, "And even if I were to tell you, you wouldn't understand. It's much too complicated for a brain as underdeveloped as yours." He gave me a fake look of pity.

"Don't be mean," I said, "I'm not that dumb."

"I'll be whatever I want to be," Artemis said, "And compared to my intellect you really are that dumb."

"Just how smart are you?" I asked.

"I never tell anyone how smart I am," he said. "If I did everyone would be afraid of me."

I snorted at him. He gave me a smile that immediately made me think of vampires. God, I wanted him so much. I got up and sat down next to him.

"You're invading my personal space," he said.

"You need to step out of your comfort zone," I said, "Get rid of your personal space."

"I like my comfort zone just the way it is," he said, scowling at me.

I leaned over his shoulder and looked at the screen of his laptop. Well, it certainly looked complicated.

"Stop reading over my shoulder," Artemis ordered. He pushed me lightly.

As soon as his hand made contact with my chest I forgot who I was, completely lost control of myself. I gripped his hand and flipped him onto his back; his laptop fell to the floor with a light thud. Artemis opened his mouth to say something, probably to complain about what I was doing but before he could speak I smashed my lips against his, kissing him frantically, my hands reaching under his shirt, exploring his stomach and chest. I pushed my tongue into his mouth and he bit it. I let out a strangled yelp of pain and pushed myself off of him.

I stared at Artemis as he sat up and stared back at me. What did I just do? Why did I do that? I was such an idiot. How could I just force myself onto Artemis like that? I was disgusted with myself. I noticed that Artemis was shaking.

"Artemis?" I said.

"Get out," he hissed, "Now."

"Wait," I said, "I can explain. It was an accident. I didn't mean it. Please!"

"Get out now," he repeated, his voice getting louder till he was yelling. "I want you out! Get out!"

I ran out of the room. I didn't stop running till I reached the end of the corridor.

"No, no, no, no, no," I moaned. I leaned against the wall and covered my face with my hands, wishing that I could turn back time. I don't know how long I stood there like that. I probably would have stood there all night but I soon became aware that someone was standing in front of me. I removed my hands from my face and was shoved against the wall. Two hands wrapped around my throat, painfully tight.

"Richard," I gasped, "What are you…"

"What did you do?" he interrupted, his voice dangerously low. "Tell me what you did."

"Nothing," I said, "I didn't do anything!"

"Good," Richard said. "You better not have done anything. Artemis is mine."

"He's your boyfriend?" I said.

"No, not yet," Richard said, "But he will be, so you stay away from him"

He shoved me against the wall again then let go of me and left. I shivered in shock then walked in the direction of Joshua's room. He'd let me spend the night there, I hoped.

_A/N – There, finished. Remember that comments are greatly appreciated._


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer – I don't own Artemis fowl_

Chapter 4

Two months passed by. I stayed with Joshua after collecting my stuff from Artemis' room while he was out. I joined the football team and put all my concentration into the team and my school work. Those two months passed by in a dull monotone of normal. Well, except for the sharp feeling of yearning I felt in the pit of my stomach every time Artemis walked past. I wouldn't have survived those first few weeks if it weren't for Joshua, who I now considered my best friend. He came up with a lovely metaphor where I was an addict and Artemis was heroin.

"Don't you see," he'd said, "If you keep pursuing Artemis your life is going to be a horrible mess."

This didn't make sense to me at first. How could my life be anything but wonderful with Artemis in it? But eventually I began to see some sort of truth in what he said. It was more than obvious that Artemis wasn't the slightest bit interested in silly old me. What would become of my life if I spent all my time obsessing over the guy?

Eventually Joshua no longer had to drag me away whenever Artemis was near. Eventually I learned to ignore the lust I felt for him. Everything was back to normal.

--

I strode into the English classroom, still sweaty from the PE lesson before.

"Hey, Mr. Smith, what's up?" I called out to the teacher. In response he frowned at me and told me to get to my seat. I did, falling into a chair next to Joshua. He grinned at me then sniffed the air and grimaced.

"Man, you stink," he complained. "What happened to deodorant?"

"Deodorant is for sissies," I said and lifted my arms up into the air. "this is the stench of a _real _man!"

Joshua groaned, covering the bottom half of his face with one hand and pushing me with the other.

"Admit it," I said, "This smell is driving you wild for my body. You love it."

"As if," came the muffled reply.

I lowered my arms and laughed as Mr. Smith walked around the room out books. After he dropped one onto my desk I looked at the title. The Great Gatsby.

Mr. Smith sat at his desk. "Today we are going to start studying The Great Gatsby," he said. "All you lot have to do is sit there, be quiet and listen. I'll be reading the first chapter."

Everyone in the class groaned as Mr. Smith opened his book and began to read.

Scott, who was sitting in the row of chairs in front of us, turned around to face us. "Hey you two," he whispered, "Look behind you. Richard is sitting next to Artemis."

Oh, well, that was interesting. Wait… What?!

I spun around in my seat, craning my neck to see right at the back of the room. Scoot was right. There was Artemis and right next to him was Richard. I stared in disbelief till Richard looked up and noticed me. A mean smirk appeared and he leaned over to Artemis and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Artemis looked up at him and he kissed him again, on the lips this time. I turned around, feeling sick.

"Oh my God," I heard Scott say. "Did you see that? Gross!" he turned back to the front of the class, shaking his head and laughing quietly to himself.

The sick feeling in my stomach grew and I found myself raising my hand. 'Excuse me sir. I don't feel so good. Can I go to the bathroom?"

Mr. Smith nodded. I thanked him and left the room.

_A/N – I ended up chopping this chapter in half so I could leave you all wondering what happens next. Please review._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer – I don't own Artemis Fowl **

Chapter 5

I sat in the bathroom throughout the entire English lesson just thinking. Ok, so maybe I was sulking a little bit. Or a lot. But eventually I told myself that Artemis and Richard being together was a good thing. It meant that Artemis was unavailable which was for me not to pursue Artemis like some love-struck teenage girl. Joshua would be so proud of me.

Although I wasn't quite happy with Artemis' taste in men. Richard was an ass! A complete jerk. Perhaps I could recommend someone else, someone better... No, not me. Joshua was out of the question. He wouldn't go anywhere near Artemis after what he had done to his little sister. Scott was also unavailable, he already had two girlfriends. Not to mention that both Scott and Joshua were completely straight.

I sighed and stood up. The stench in the bathroom was making hard to think. I walked out of the bathroom and discovered I was the only one in the hallway; everyone else had already gone to their next class.

Apparently not everyone. As I turned a corner I saw two people, Artemis and Richard, at the end of the hallway. They were talking to each other in hushed tones but they both looked furious. Richard's face had turned a dangerous looking shade of red. My body tensed and my hands curled into fists.

I'd just taken a few steps towards them when Richard drew back his own fist and punched Artemis in the face, causing him to fall backwards to the floor.

I broke into a sprint as Richard leaned over Artemis and reached the two of them just as Richard began to drag Artemis up by the front of his shirt. I slammed my fist into the side of Richard's head and he staggered away from Artemis, stunned, before running at me throwing several uncontrolled punches. I dodged most of them and began swinging my fists at him, trying to knock Richard back.

I barely noticed as Artemis picked himself up off the floor and strode towards us ranting. He managed to get out, "Stop this nonsense at once! You're both acting like complete imbeciles," before one of Richard's punches went wild and struck him in the face sending him back down to the floor, blood flowing from his nose.

"What on earth is going on here?" We all turned to see Mr Guiney running towards us. "Can someone please explain to me why, instead of being in class, you three are out here getting into fisticuffs?"

I looked at Mr Guiney and cleared my throat before dramatically pointing my finger at Richard and saying, "He started it!"

All three of us were in deep shit. Mr Guiney had let the school nurse look at us before dragging us down to his office and telling us to wait outside. He glared at us one more time before walking into his office and slamming the door behind him. All was silent for about a minute.

"This is all your fault," Richard said.

"My fault!" I said. "I was only trying to help Artemis."

"I didn't need any help," Artemis said through the tissue he was holding up to his nose.

"Right," I said. "Of course you didn't."

"Why don't you just leave him the hell alone," Richard said to me.

"Yes, and you can join him," Artemis snapped at Richard.

Mr Guiney chose that moment to come back out of his office. "Come in," he said. "We're going to discuss a suitable punishment for the lot of you."

**A/N – Sorry it's been so long since I've updated but I've now finished up to chapter 10. Hopefully I'll be able to update at least once a week from now on. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer – I don't own Artemis Fowl**

Chapter 6

We sat in the three chairs Mr. Guiney had arranged in a little semi circle around his desk. Mr. Guiney sat at his desk and stared us down for a couple of minutes. I fidgeted in my seat; Artemis checked his watch and Richard yawned.

"Artemis and Callum, I've decided to give you both a detention," Mr. Guiney said. "Richard, due to your history of skipping classes, getting into fights and general bad behavior, you've been suspended for two weeks."

"Not fair," Richard yelled.

"But sir," I whined.

"I wasn't even involved in their fight, I was merely the victim," Artemis said.

"Quiet," Mr. Guiney said. "Richard, your father will be here in a couple of minutes to pick you up. Please wait outside. Artemis, Callum, go back to class. I will be calling your parents to let them know what has happened."

Artemis and I left the office and began walking to our classes. Artemis had ditched the blood-soaked tissue and his nose had already started to bruise.

"So what happened between you and Richard?" I asked. "I thought you two were a couple now."

"We were never a couple," Artemis said. "He kissed me without my permission. After class I expressed my displeasure and he punched me. Then you appeared."

That bastard. At least I hadn't punched Artemis. Although what I had done was pretty bad.

"By the way, I'm sorry about what happened that night. You know…" I trailed off. Artemis didn't say anything so I continued. "It was completely inappropriate. I should've given up after you refused to go out with me. I'm such an idiot, I'll completely understand if you never forgive me. But it won't happen again, I swear! If it does, which it won't, feel free to cut off my pe-"

"Stop it," Artemis interrupted my rambling. "I'm not planning to cut off anything."

"Oh, good," I said. "I haven't even gotten round to using it yet."

Artemis turned to look at me and I blushed, realizing what I'd just said. I was about to begin another long, rambled apology when classical music began to play from inside Artemis' pocket.

"Excuse me," Artemis said, and pulled out a mobile phone. He answered the phone and began talking to whoever was on the other side of the phone. I was only able to hear Artemis' side of the conversation.

"Hello? Yes, that's true. I'd prefer it if they didn't hear about the incident. No doubt they'll worry, mother especially. I'm fine and I don't plan on having a repeat of today. No, I promised mother I wouldn't bring you down to the school anymore. Someone complained about me terrorizing the other students. Completely ridiculous, of course. Yes, I assure you, I am fine. Goodbye, old friend."

He hung up and put away his phone.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"My bodyguard," he replied.

"Your bodyguard?" I cried.

"Yes," Artemis said. "He heard about what happened and was concerned."

"Your _bodyguard_," I repeated faintly.

"Are you quite alright?" Artemis asked.

No, I wasn't alright. I'd dated boys before and nearly all of them had parents who insisted on meeting me. Cue the awkward concerned parent questions. I'd always thought dads who were having trouble accepting that their sons were dating a dude were bad, but a _bodyguard? _At least I wasn't interested in Artemis like that anymore? Right? _Right?_

Artemis stopped outside of a door. "This is my class," he said.

"Alright," I said. "See you later."

I turned to walk away and Artemis grabbed my arm. I turned back to him and his grip on my arm tightened slightly. "Thank you," he said.

He let go and walked into the classroom. I watched him till the door closed, hiding him from view, before continuing back to class, a huge grin on my face.

**A/N – Another update. Sorry if this chapter is kind of boring and pointless.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

As soon as I finished explaining to my maths teacher, Miss Moss, why I'd been so late to class I headed straight towards Joshua and sat down next to him.

"What happened to you?" he asked. "You've got a great big bruise right here." He poked at my jaw and I winced.

"Oh, I didn't notice," I said. "But I guess bruises are just one of the consequences of getting into a bit of a fight with someone." I shrugged. "I came out the clear victor of the battle, in case you wanted to know."

Joshua jabbed at my bruise. "Quit joking around," he said. "What happened?"

"Fine," I sighed. "If you really, _really _must know. I punched Richard."

"Oh God," Joshua groaned and buried his head in his hands. "Please tell me this has nothing to do with Artemis. _Please_."

"Uh, this has nothing to do with Artemis...?"

Joshua looked up at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Stop judging me!" I said. "I had to. Richard hit Artemis. I had to do something."

"So you punched the dumb sod," Joshua said. "You didn't tell him to stop or hold him back or get a teacher or anything like that. "

"I didn't think of that at the time," I said. "Anyway, you're missing the point. Richard _punched_ Artemis."

"I hope Artemis is going to dump him," Joshua said. "I may hate him but no one deserves to be in an abusive relationship."

"That's probably the only good part in all this mess," I told him. "They weren't dating in the first place."

"Are you obsessing over him again?" Joshua asked. "You are, aren't you."

"No, I'm not," I said. "I still _like _him. But I'm not obsessed. At least I was never anywhere near as bad as Richard."

Joshua looked at me for a full minute before, then nodded. "Alright," he said slowly. "But maybe you weren't that far off from Richard levels of creepy." He shrugged. "Just think about it. You pretty much forced yourself on him _after_ he said no. Exactly what Richard did in English today. Seems like you were just one punch away from being just like Richard."

"I'm your mate, Callum," Joshua told me, "And I don't want to see you screwing things up. Lay off of Artemis, ok?"

Right then I pretty much felt like the worlds biggest creep.

"Alright," I said. "I'll back off."

"Good," Joshua said, patting me on the shoulder. "You can do better than him, anyway."

I'd recieved an angry text from my mum telling me to call her as soon as my classes had finished. So after my last class I immediately made my way over to detention. I always hated getting yelled at by mum. She had the amazing ability to make me feel like the worst person in the universe and I already felt bad enough after Joshua's little speech.

Detention was held in an ordinary, if slightly run down, classroom. Young hooligans were required to sit in there, be quiet and work on their homework for at least an hour while a teacher sat at the desk at the front of the room reading the newspaper, marking essays or doing other such things that teachers do in their spare time.

I sat down at a desk in the middle of the room and pulled out my maths homework. I was falling behind in class, _again_, and my grades were really, _really _bad. Worse than usual. I sat there staring at my homework for at least ten minutes.

"It's twenty four."

I jumped about a metre in the air and turned around to see Artemis sitting behind me.

"When did you get here?"

"A couple of minutes ago."

"What's twenty four?"

"A number," he smirked. "Obviously."

"Thanks," I said. "But why are you helping me?"

"You helped me earlier today. I'm just returning the favour," he said. "Besides, watching you sit there, scratching your head, trying to figure out such a simple question was downright painful."

He got up from his seat and moved so that he was sitting next to me.

"I've been looking for something to challenge me," he said. "Let's see if I can teach a buffoon how to do simple equations."

**A/N - Sorry I haven't updated in about forever. This chapter was kind of hard to write. I'd already finished it, but then I decided I wasn't happy with it so I pretty much completely rewrote it about halfway through...**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ok, so maybe going to Artemis' room every Thursday night for tutoring wasn't what Joshua had in mind when he told me to back off a bit. But Artemis offered and wouldn't it be a bit rude for me to refuse him, when he's willing to give up some of his private time for me? So, my grades in math were steadily improving and I liked to believe that Artemis and I were beginning to become friends.

When we weren't busy working out equations, we talked. Or rather, Artemis asked me a series of questions ranging from completely mundane to deeply personal. Some I decided were a bit _too _personal, but he didn't seem to mind when I didn't give him a completely honest answer or just flat out refused to answer. I kind of felt like he was trying to figure something out and I was more than willing to help.

Getting to know Artemis was a bit difficult. He had a constant smug air about him, the kind that made me feel like he was keeping a pretty huge secret from me. This was fine, really. We weren't that close, although I wished that we were, and it was completely within his right to have secrets. I even had few secrets of my own. For example, my Mum was never going to find out what really happened to her favorite set of good china, no matter how many times she interrogated me.

Note to self, glass plates do not make good Frisbees.

I never believed that Artemis would talk to me or treat me like someone worthy of his attention outside of our little tutoring sessions. And he didn't, until one day during lunch break...

* * *

"What is it?" Scott asked, gingerly poking at the slimy thing in front of him.

"I think it's spaghetti," I said.

"Sure as hell doesn't look like spaghetti," Scott said. "Or smell like it. I'm willing to bet it doesn't taste like it either."

Our conversation was interrupted as another plate of spaghetti was dumped down at our table and Artemis sat down across from me. Scott stared at Artemis then turned to me and mouthed, "What the hell?"

"Hey, uh, Artemis," I said. "Why are you...?"

"Sitting with you?"

"Yeah, that."

Artemis shrugged his shoulders. "All the tables are being used," he said. "Usually I get here early enough to have a table to myself but today I was sidetracked."

"That doesn't explain why you're sitting with us," I said.

"Perhaps I'd rather sit with you two, then with the rest of the idiots at this school," Artemis said.

Another tray slammed down onto the table, spraying us with bits of meat and sauce. I looked up to see that it was Joshua who had slammed the tray of food down. The look on his face was murderous.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Joshua demanded, gesturing to Artemis.

"Is there a problem?" Artemis asked.

"Yeah, there is," Joshua said. "Do you remember my sister?"

Artemis studied Joshua's face for a few seconds, and then nodded.

"Jessica. You both have a very similar bone structure," Artemis said. "Please tell me this doesn't have anything to do with that time she asked me out."

"Bad luck, cause it has everything to do with that," Joshua said.

"Do you honestly expect me to date your sister just because she is related to you?" Artemis snapped. "I was not interested, and now you're pulling the overprotective big brother act. Wouldn't you rather that she is turned down by someone, then to be in a meaningless relationship?"

"I'm not angry because you turned her down," Joshua said. "I just think you could've been a bit easier on her."

"I did go easy on her," Artemis said.

"You made her cry."

A strange look passed over Artemis' face, but it was gone before I could figure out what it meant.

"Is that so?" he asked.

"Yeah, it is," Joshua said.

The silence that followed was uncomfortable and tense and seemed seemed to stretch on forever. Artemis' lips were pressed tightly together as Joshua watched him. Finally, Artemis threw down his fork and returned Joshua's gaze.

"Could please tell your sister that I apologize for my reprehensible behaviour and let her know that I regret being so harsh when she asked me out," he said.

"I would tell her," Joshua said, after a moment of consideration, "but I want you to. Face to face."

"St. Bartleby's students are not allowed in St. Catherine's school," Artemis said. "Not since one of the students wound up pregnant and didn't know which one of her various boyfriends was the father."

I remembered that incident. Two guys, both from my science class, both were dating the same girl. After they finished being pissed with each other, they began to argue over the baby. They both insisted that there was no way in hell that they could be the father so it had to be the other. The girl would dress in the Bartleby uniform and come over and all three of them would have huge fights in the middle of the school hallways...

It was like a light bulb had suddenly popped into existence above my head.

"I've got an idea!"

* * *

And that is how all four of us ended up stuck in a closet, each wearing a St. Catherine's uniform which consisted of skirt, blouse, sweater, blazer and knee high socks. When I'd come up with the idea it had seemed foolproof. But now I had to admit that it was a pretty crappy plan. None of us could actually pass for girls, especially not me. At 6'3" I was the tallest of the group. Artemis could almost make the disguise work; from a distance and only if you squinted.

We all realized this when a teacher did a double take at the sight of us and turned to start asking questions. Although, Artemis had destined the plan as doomed to fail the very instant I had explained it.

Before the teacher could get to us we had run down a corridor, into an empty classroom, and then shut ourselves into a storage closet at the back of the room. Unfortunately the door had locked behind us.

"I miss maths," Scott said. "I've never been stuck in the closet with three guys in maths class."

Artemis was loudly ranting about simpletons with below average IQ, or something like that.

"If you're so smart," Joshua said, through gritted teeth, "then why don't you get us out of here."

"Very well," Artemis said. "I was hoping one of you three could prove to me that you aren't as dumb as you look, but it seems as though I will have to do all the thinking as usual."

Kurt turned to me and held out his hand. "Callum, I need to borrow a bobby pin."

Scott and Joshua stared at me and I felt my cheeks get warm as I blushed. "What are you talking about?" I laughed. "I don't carry bobby pins with me. That's _ridiculous_. Completely absurd!"

Artemis raised an eyebrow.

"Ok, fine," I said, and pulled a pin out of my pocket. Scott sniggered.

"Shut up," I told him. "So I care about making sure my hair looks nice. Whatever. It's no big deal."

There was a click and the closet door opened.

"Finally," Joshua said.

We decided to wait in the empty classroom while Joshua texted his sister to let her know where we were. I sat cross-legged on top of one of the desks and Artemis leaned against a wall, crossing his arms.

"I cannot believe I agreed to do this," he said.

Scott, who had sat down on the desk net to mine said, "I came for the girls. So far there has been a lack of lady folk, so today has been a great disappointment."

I rolled my eyes. Typical Scott, mind always on girls.

"Jessica's on her way," Joshua said. "She'll be here soon."

Only ten minutes had passed when a short, blonde girl, who I assumed was Jessica due to the eerie resemblance between her and Joshua, burst into the room.

"Josh, what the hell are you doing here and _oh my god_ what are you wearing?" She did a double take when she saw Artemis. "Seriously, what is going on?"

"I'm here to apologize," Artemis said. "I have come to realize that perhaps I was a bit... _harsh _when you asked me onto a date."

"What are you talking about?" Jessica laughed. "Sure, you don't have the best personality, and you usually end up being rude and tactless even when you're not even trying to be mean... But I didn't think you were that bad. You could've been a lot worse."

"Jess, stop trying to make it seem less than it was," Joshua said. "He made you cry!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jessica said. "I didn't cry."

"But your friend -"

"Let me guess, Mischia told you," Jessica said.

"Well yes, but -"

"I thought you would've figured this out by now," Jessica said, exasperated. "Mischia is a chronic liar. You can't trust a thing that comes out of her mouth. To be completely honest, I never wanted to go out with Artemis in the first place. One of my friends dared me to ask him out. No offence, Fowl, but you're really not my type."

"None taken," Artemis muttered.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to class. I have a huge test coming up next week and I've already wasted enough time here," she said.

There was a moment of silence after she left. Joshua looked embarrassed, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Well, this turned out to be a complete waste of my time," Artemis said.

"I guess it's my turn to apologize," Joshua said. "No hard feelings?"

After a small moment of awkwardness, they shook hands.

"No hard feelings," Artemis agreed.

Touching moment over, I stood up from my seat on the desk and stretched out my arms.

"So, we can go back to school now?" I said. "Cause this place is kind of boring."

As we entered the grounds of St. Bartlebys, Scott leaned over to me and said, "You reckon I could convince the teachers to make skirts a regular part of the uniform? Cause the breeze between my legs is really refreshing. I could get used to this."

I laughed and pushed him away. "Could you do us all a favor, though," I said. "Next time you wear a skirt, put on some underwear as well. There are some things a guy doesn't need to see..."

**A/N - So I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter I've written so far and hopefully I'll keep writing chapters at this length. Please let me know what you think. Reviews are always greatly appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Friday night in Joshua's room, we were all having a bit of a movie night. When I say 'we' I mean Joshua, Scott, Artemis and I. Yes, Artemis had taken time from his busy schedule of whatever it is he does with his spare time to hang out with me. Unfortunately our theme of the night was disaster movies and it was a bit difficult to stop Artemis from continuing his running commentary on how unrealistic and scientifically correct some of our choices were. He was having a field day with _2012._

Even after our collective efforts had managed to get him to keep his thoughts to himself didn't stop him from occasionally making a show of rolling his eyes or making little snorts of disbelief.

"Honestly," he said at one point, "I don't know how you find this entertaining."

"Stop being such a stick up the ass and just enjoy yourself," Scott said.

"I would if this movie were actually believable."

I kind of found it cute that he was so obsessed with everything being factual. It was also pretty impressive. While I was just impressed with the explosions and erupting volcanoes, Artemis was thinking into the science of it all. It seemed like the more I got to know him, the more I realized just how amazing he is.

Although, maybe the reason his general bad mood seemed even more charming than usual was the fact that he was sitting next to me on a small couch, it was dark in the room and our thighs were pressed together. His hand was resting on his lap and my own hand tingled with the urge to reach out and grab his. The entire night I'd had trouble concentrating on the movies because I was busy weighing up the pros and cons of holding his hand. We were friends now and I didn't want to ruin that.

During the last half of_2012_ I jumped as someone grabbed my hand. I looked across to see that Artemis had barely moved from his position, but he was unusually silent. His hand was no longer resting on his leg; instead it was wrapped around mine. I smiled to myself and squeezed his hand gently.

I didn't see Artemis over the weekend, so he had either gone home or had holed himself up in his room which was pretty normal for him. I kept myself busy with homework, and I had a game on Saturday.

On Sunday, Richard returned to St. Bartlebys.

I'd actually managed to finish all my homework by Sunday afternoon. There was nothing to do; Joshua had gone home to celebrate his little sister's 16th birthday and Scott had a date with one of his many and various girlfriends. He was up to four by now, and I didn't know how he managed to obtain them let alone keep up with them. Apparently he looked like some guy from a show about vampires or something like that.

Instead of moping around in an empty room, I'd decided to go for a quick walk around the school. It was always so peaceful during the weekends, no one running and screaming through the corridors, no random games of handball or hacky sack. It suited my mood.

Saturday morning I had felt incredibly light, like I was floating, the memory of holding Artemis' hand making me feel a bit high. But, as the day had gone by, the feeling of weightlessness had lessened and even after I scored the winning goal in the football game I had been stuck in a contemplative slump.

Hand holding was great and all, but what next? Should I kiss him next time I see him? Or did he hold hands with all his friends while watching movies?

I was thinking about all of this, going through it in my head for the millionth time that weekend as I passed the Mr. Guiney's office and the door opened and someone stepped out, walking straight into me.

I looked up to see Richard standing in front of me. His hair had been cut short and I could at last figure out what he looked like behind that shaggy mane of limp, black hair. His face was long and thin and he had a scraggly sort of goatee thing on his chin. His eyes were a piercing dark grey and I shuddered slightly as he stared at me. In my mind, I named them his Crazy Eyes.

Finally, he continued on his way down the hall, bumping my shoulder hard with his as he walked by, nearly knocking me off of my feet.

Monday morning and I was desperately keeping an eye out for Artemis. For some reason I felt a strong urge to give Artemis at least some sort of warning before he saw Richard. My encounter with Richard the day before had left me pretty freaked out and I couldn't shake the feeling that Richard was going to... I don't know. But I was freaked.

I finally saw him in the cafeteria, going for his early morning hit of caffeine and made my way over to him.

"Richard's back," I blurted out the second Artemis noticed me.

"And?"

"I don't know," I said. "I just... I'm worried."

"There's no reason to worry," Artemis said. "If Richard does anything stupid I have my bodyguard on speed dial. But he won't do anything."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked.

"He's just a kid," Artemis said. "I've faced worse enemies than him and come out on top."

"Fine," I sighed. "Just be careful. Please?"

"Very well," Artemis said. "If you'll stop acting so concerned over nothing."

Even after talking to Artemis I wasn't reassured. Sure, Artemis was probably the smartest guy in school, maybe even smarter than the teachers, but Richard was the same age as Artemis and, if you were to believe some of the rumors circulating around school, Artemis had done some pretty freaky shit. Bank heists being some of the tamer stuff.

I guess the problem with Artemis is that he's kind of cocky. He's kind of struts around the school like he owns the place, saying whatever he wants, doing whatever he wants and he gets away with it. Not many people dare to get in his way, except for some of the braver teachers. And Joshua, when it came to his sister. This is usually pretty awesome and I admire how self assured and confident he is, but it seems like he believes that no matter what the situation, his bodyguard will be there to protect him.

But his bodyguard isn't allowed on school grounds.

**A/N – Another chapter. Can I get a bit of advice on the last few paragraphs? I'm not entirely happy with them, they seem to ramble on a bit, but I'm not sure how to fix it or if it needs fixing. **


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sometimes it felt like math class with Miss Moss was a sort of hell specifically designed to torture and cause me pain. A few lessons with Artemis weren't enough for me to become some sort of math whiz, they were just enough that every quiz I got back didn't have the ominous words, 'see me after class' written on them. My work was even sloppier than usual; after all there were much more important things to think about than the volume of a triangle.

I breathed a sigh of relief as class finally ended and we were all allowed to go to lunch. Joshua heard me, and laughed.

"Don't worry," he said. "You'll get the hang of it eventually."

"That's what you said last week," I pointed out.

"And I still stand by it," he said. "Some people just take a bit longer to get the hang of certain things."

We entered the cafeteria, grabbed some food and made our way to where Scott and Artemis were already seated. I sat down next to Artemis, who was busy texting someone on his phone.

"Why the long face?" Scott asked.

"Maths," I explained. "I'm pretty sure there's a test coming up and I'd like to actually pass for once."

"I'm sure that with my tutelage, you'll get a decent mark," Artemis said. He reached over and patted my hand, just once, before gathering his things and standing up.

"I'll see you all later," he said, and walked off.

Scott and Joshua watched him as he left the cafeteria, then both simultaneously turned to me.

"What was that?" Joshua asked.

"What was what?" I said, trying to act innocent.

"Dude, the hand touching," Joshua said. "That was _way _out of character for Fowl."

"I see what's going on here," Scott said. "You want to hit that! I want to let you know that I'm completely cool with you being gay, or whatever, but why would you want to get it on with Artemis?" He frowned. "I don't really see the appeal of a skinny, pale guy with an attitude problem."

"Well, I don't see the appeal of juggling a bunch of blonde girls," I said.

"Jeez, no need to get so defensive," Scott held up his hands in a sign of peace.

"What happened?" Joshua asked. "I mean, only a weekend has passed and we come back to find you and Artemis being all touchy feely."

"We barely held hands," I protested. "And I didn't see Artemis all weekend."

"But something has to have happened," Joshua said.

"Alright, fine," I said. "During the movie, on Friday night, Artemis held my hand."

"Wait, _Artemis_ held _your_ hand," Joshua said. "Not the other way round."

"That's right," I nodded.

Joshua and Scott turned to each other with wide eyes.

"Interesting development," Joshua said.

"It seems the plot has thickened," Scott said.

"What the hell are you two on about?"

"What I'm getting at," Scott said, "Is that Artemis is into you, and you need to get him into your bed, as soon as possible. Tonight, if you can manage it. Maybe Fowl won't be such a tight ass after he gets some…"

"You're disgusting," I said. I grabbed my stuff and left the table.

* * *

As I was walking down the corridor, I felt someone slam into me from behind, catapulting me towards the brick wall. I managed to hold my arms up in front of me before my face hit the wall and I turned around to see Richard. He grabbed at me to try and push me back into the wall, but I fought back and we grappled with each other for a while before I tripped on the hem of my pants, and he managed to push me back into the wall and hold me there.

"What the hell where you doing sitting with Artemis?" he demanded.

I shoved at him, but I wasn't able to push him away from me.

"That's none of your business," I said.

Richard pulled me away from the wall then shoved me back into it again, hard. That was going to bruise.

"I thought I told you to stay away from him," Richard said. "He's _mine_."

I kicked at Richard's feet and managed to knock him, then jumped down on him and pinned him to the floor.

"Artemis is a person," I said, "You can't just claim ownership over him."

Richard glared up at me. There was something weird about his eyes, I couldn't really put my finger on it, but his pupils just seemed… off.

"Dude, what the hell, are you high?"

I jumped away from him and took a few steps back while he was still lying, winded, on the floor.

"What the fuck are talking about," he spat at me.

I shook my head. "Whatever, man, just leave me and Artemis alone." I stomped down hard on his stomach and he wheezed. "Got it?"

"Fuck you," he said.

I continued on my way down the corridor, sparing Richard a single glance before I turned a corner and he disappeared from my view.

* * *

"Hey, Artemis, wait up!"

I jogged over to where Artemis was standing, watching me expectantly.

"I've got a bit of a question," I said. "Do you think that maybe Richard might be on something? Maybe something illegal? Could that explain why he acts so, well, _creepy_?"

Artemis raised both eyebrows and I immediately felt the need to explain.

"It's just that I got a close look at his eyes before and there was something really weird about his pupils," I said. I paused for a second as I noticed that Artemis had tightened the grip he had on his bag, enough so that his knuckles stood out.

"I, uh, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that doing drugs can make your pupils bigger or something."

Artemis moved quicker than I thought he could and next thing I knew, he was gripping my head with both his hands, staring into my eyes.

"Artemis, what-"

"Shut up, and don't blink," Artemis said.

I did as I was told, obviously. After all, it was Artemis telling me what to do. Eventually Artemis let out a little sigh of what sounded like relief and let go of my face.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"Nothing important," Artemis said. "I should go. I have somewhere I need to be."

He walked off and I watched him go, still incredibly confused. What the hell was going on?

**A/N – Sorry this took a bit longer to update than I expected. Hope you all enjoy the chapter and please review to let me know what you think.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Have you ever woken up with the feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong? I've woken up with the feeling of dread several times. Usually it's just a small and temporary bout of paranoia, but there have been a few times when something has actually happened. It's a bit like being able to see the future, but nowhere near as awesome. That's why I wasn't going to ignore the feeling of dread I had woken up with that morning.

Anything could go wrong, so I was extra cautious that morning. Instead of pulling on my uniform in a sleepy haze and hoping nothing was on the wrong way, I carefully checked every article of clothing for anything that could possibly make my day take a turn for the worse. I even checked my undies for spiders. Nothing went wrong on my way to the cafeteria, and my breakfast didn't seem to be poisoned (although I didn't know how to tell if something was poisoned or not. I supposed I would find out if I got really sick or something after I finished eating).

That was when I thought that maybe nothing bad was going to happen to me, but instead to my friends. I studied Scott and Joshua, but nothing seemed to be going on with them… But what about Artemis? Artemis was definitely in danger since Richard was back. I looked across the cafeteria to where Richard was eating alone and sent him a warning glare. He noticed me looking, and stuck his middle finger up at me, the bastard.

"What's up with you?" Scott asked through a mouthful of toast.

"Yeah, you're acting weird," Joshua said. "Well, weirder than usual."

"It's nothing," I said, then, "Can I ask you a favour from you guys?"

Scott and Joshua shared a look.

"I don't know, it depends on what the favour is," Joshua said.

"Could you guys keep an eye on Richard today?"

"Callum, Richard isn't going to do anything," Joshua said. "He may be a creep, but he's not stupid enough to try something after getting suspended last time."

"Yeah, dude," Scott said. "Besides, I totally do not want to spend the day competing for the title of school's creepiest stalker with Richard." He shrugged. "Sorry."

"Nah, it's fine," I said. "I shouldn't have asked you guys in the first place."

It looked like I was going to have to take matters into my hands.

xx

I decided that the best time to talk to Artemis was after English, the only class we had together. I'm actually good at English, and I think the teachers don't really know what to do with someone as smart as Artemis, so they just shove him into all the top classes. I bet he could skip all his classes and still manage to pass, which, I will admit, does make me a bit jealous.

After class, I hurried to catch up to him, and then matched my pace with his. He looked up at me and casually slipped his hand into mine. I grinned and squeezed his hand. Although we had only gone as far as hand holding in our relationship (if you could even call it that yet) I wasn't going to complain. I was reluctant to bring up Richard when Artemis was willing to hold hands with me in public, but I felt I had to.

"Artemis-"

"It's about Richard again, isn't it," he said.

"Well, yeah," I admitted.

"You shouldn't worry about me so much," Artemis said. "Besides, if I ever feel that I am in danger, there is nothing to stop me from calling my bodyguard, Butler."

That did make me feel a little better, and managed to calm my nerves as well. We came to a stop outside of Artemis' maths class.

"I suppose I'll see you later," Artemis said.

"Yeah," I said. Then I did something that shocked even me. I leant down and gave Artemis a quick kiss on the lips. "See you later."

"Goodbye, Callum," Artemis said, and walked into the classroom. I made sure the door was completely shut before punching the air. "Yes! He shoots, he scores!" I could hardly believe I had actually done that, and that Artemis hadn't seemed to mind at all. I celebrated a bit outside of the classroom a bit more, before making my way to my own maths class.

xx

"You're in a good mood all of a sudden," Joshua commented as I sat down next to him, a huge grin still on my face. "Why do you look so happy?"

"Oh, no reason," I said. "I'm just having a good day, that's all."

"Did you finally get in Arty's pants?" Scott asked.

"That is none of your damn business, Scott," I replied cheerfully.

Scott leaned over to Joshua and whispered, "He hasn't." But I didn't let Scott ruin my good mood. At this point nothing could ruin my day. I was on cloud nine, completely above it all.

"Alright, class, I have an announcement to make so shut up," Miss Moss said. The chatter around the classroom eventually died down. "Next week we have a test!"

The smile dropped off my face, and Scott sniggered as Miss Moss outlined what would be in the test, and how much marks it was worth.

"So much for your good mood," he said.

xx

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" Scott asked me as we left the cafeteria after dinner. "Joshua and I are watching all the Lord of The Rings movies."

Of course I wanted to join them, Lord of The Rings trumped work every time, but I was behind on my homework and I needed to study for the upcoming test. It felt weird actually caring about schoolwork, but I suppose I was maturing and finally turning into the fine young adult that my parents always hoped I would be. Or, more likely, I just wanted to impress Artemis.

"No thanks," I said, "Maybe next time."

We went our separate ways, and a few hours later I was desperately wishing I'd joined my friends and watched the movies. The problem, as always, was maths. I know I complain about it all the time, but the only good thing about being miserable was complaining about and annoying the hell out of everyone else.

Eventually I pushed myself away from my desk from my desk, gathered up my work, before making my way to Artemis' room, hoping he would still be awake despite how late it was. I was about to knock on his door when I realized that it had been left open, just a bit. That was odd; Artemis never left his door open and he rarely left it unlocked. With a sense of unease, I pushed the door open wider, turned on the light and looked around the room.

Artemis' bed was empty, though it looked like it had been recently slept in. A brick had been dropped at the foot of the bed, and Artemis' phone lay abandoned on the floor at my feet, screen cracked. I stepped over the phone and moved closer to the bed, feeling a bit sick to my stomach. Something was definitely not right here. I looked down at the bed, and almost gagged.

Blood. There was blood on Artemis' pillow. And I was willing to bet that if I had a closer look at the brick there would blood on it as well.

That was when I felt a cold object press against the back of my head, causing me to drop my homework and almost jump out of my skin. I hadn't even heard anyone enter the room.

"Put your hands where I can see them," a deep voice demanded. I instantly did as I was told.

"Is that a-"

"Yeah, it's a gun," the man said. "Now where the hell is Artemis?"

**A/N – I'm sorry for such a big delay between chapters, but I've finally finished this one and hopefully the next chapter will be up soon.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The gun pressing against the back of my head made it difficult to think, but I managed to concentrate when I reminded myself that Artemis' life was probably in danger.

"I don't know," I said. "I don't know where he is!"

The man, who I was assuming was Artemis' bodyguard Butler, still didn't lower the gun. Instead he asked me, "What's your name?"

"Callum, my name is Callum."

Butler swore, and shoved me away from him. I stumbled, but managed to stay on my feet.

With the gun finally away from my head, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Butler, ignoring me for the moment, was investigating the room, probably looking for a clue to what had happened to Artemis.

Butler's presence made me think that Artemis had an idea something was going to go down tonight, and had maybe sent him a message to warn him. Maybe Artemis had even given Butler Richard's name.

"Are you after Richard?"

Butler looked up at me.

"How did you know that?" he asked. He walked over to me, and I took a step back without even thinking about it.

"I know Richard," I said. "I mean, we're not friends or anything, we don't get along at all. He's always bothering Artemis, the guy can't take a fucking hint."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He's like… I dunno, he's just really obsessed with Artemis." I said. I'd almost said that he was in love with Artemis, but I didn't. For some reason I didn't like the idea of Richard, or rather anyone being in love with Artemis. "He gets really aggressive to people he thinks are too close to Artemis and…"

I cut myself off, unsure if the next part was worth mentioning. Butler raised his eyebrows at me when he noticed me hesitate.

"I need you to tell me everything and quickly," he said. "Even the smallest detail could be useful."

I nodded. "There was something wrong with the pupils of his eyes," I admitted, and Butler looked up at me sharply. "Yeah, Artemis had a weird reaction to that as well," I said.

"Do you have any idea where he could be?" Butler asked.

I think I remember Scott - he's my friend - mentioning a place that Richard goes to when he skips class," I said. "I could go and ask him where!"

"Lead the way, but hurry," Butler told me.

I lead him down the hallway, to Joshua's room, where I knew Scott would be spending the night, and knocked rapidly on the door. Joshua opened the door and stared at Butler.

"Uh, Callum, who is that?"

"Never mind him," I said, "Is Scott in there? I need to talk to him."

"Yeah, sure," Joshua said. He turned around and yelled into the room, "Hey Scott! Get out here! Callum wants you!"

"Tell Callum that he can't have me! He only wants me for my hot body!"

I groaned. "Scott, get out here! It's urgent!"

Scott came to the door and joined Joshua in staring at Butler. "Whoa," he said. "Is he your sugar daddy?"

Butler scowled at Scott, who backed away a couple of steps.

"My name is Butler," he said. "I'm Artemis Fowl's bodyguard. Now, I need you to tell me where I can find Richard. Is there anywhere he would go if he didn't want to be found?"

Scott stared up at Butler. "Uh, yeah, I guess. There's this shed place I've seen him at the back of the school. It's like an old gardening shed. I've seen Richard down there sometimes, when I've been skipping class."

Butler nodded and turned to go and I went to follow him. He put a giant hand against my chest, stopping me.

"Thanks for the help, but you should stay here," he said.

"But-"

"No buts," he cut off my protest. "My priority right now is Artemis. I shouldn't have to worry about keeping an eye on you as well."

"Hey, Butler's right," Joshua said, grabbing onto my arm to stop me following as Butler ran off. "You'd only get in the way."

"You don't know that," I said. "What if Butler isn't enough, huh? What if he needs help?"

"Dude, it's just Richard," Scott pointed out. "Pretty sure that guy is more than qualified to deal with him."

"Yeah, I know, but there's something not right here," I said. "I'll just hang around outside, make sure everything's ok. Then I can call the police if anything does go wrong. I want get in the way or anything, I swear."

Joshua reluctantly let go of my arm.

"Maybe I should go with you," he said.

"Nah, I'll be fine," I said. "You go back inside, I'll come back later."

* * *

The shed used to keep all the sports equipment inside, but now it was a rundown old thing. Moss covered its walls and windows, and the door detached and was hanging off the frame. It was silhouetted against the moonlight and looked rather ominous as I made my way towards it.

I slowed my pace as I reached the shed, and crept towards the door. Looking inside, I saw Richard with his back turned towards me. He was standing partially behind Artemis holding an odd looking gun to his head. Artemis was swaying a bit, and had his hands clumsily tied behind his back. It wouldn't take much to get undo the knot, but I doubted that Artemis was in any state to do anything, after getting hit on the head as hard as he had.

Butler was facing them, pointing his own gun at Richard, but he couldn't do anything while Richard was using Artemis as a shield. If only there was a way to get that gun away from Artemis' head. Maybe I could help, create a distraction or something like that.

As I was looking around the shed for something I could use, Butler was talking to Richard.

"Richard, I'm going to ask you again. Put the gun down," Butler said. He voice was low and threatening. "No one has to die here. Just let Artemis go, and tell me who put you up to this."

"No one would have to die if you had just left us alone," Richard said. "This is your fault."

There was nothing useful in the shed, only a few empty shelves that I'm standing close to so that I could quickly duck down and hide if Richard turned around. However, I had an idea. While Richard was distracted by Butler, I could grab him and take the gun off of him. It might sound like a stupid idea, but I had no other option. Besides, I had taken Richard in a fight before.

Having decided on a plan, I quickly made sure that Richard was still distracted and facing the other way. I then burst out from my hiding place. Richard heard me and turned around as I tried to tackle him. He managed to step out of the way, letting go of Artemis as he did. Richard spun around to face me, raising his gun to my face. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Artemis drop to the ground, and raise his arms to protect his head.

A gunshot echoed through the room.

**A/N – I don't think many people are still interested in this but here is another chapter. My excuse for this taking so long is that I started this so long ago and I literally had no idea where I was taking it. So now I'm trying to make a halfway decent story out of this mess. But bear with me, only a chapter or two to go.**


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